Abstract: A distributed computing system conforms to a multi-level, hierarchical organizational model. One or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources within the distributed computing system in accordance with the organization model. The model includes four distinct levels: fabric, domains, tiers and nodes that provide for the logical abstraction and containment of the physical components as well as system and service application software of the enterprise. A user, such as a system administrator, interacts with the control nodes to logically define the hierarchical organization of distributed computing system. The control nodes are responsible for all levels of management in accordance with the model, including fabric management, domain creation, tier creation and node allocation and deployment.

Abstract: A distributed computing system conforms to a multi-level, hierarchical organizational model. One or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources within the distributed computing system in accordance with the organization model. The model includes four distinct levels: fabric, domains, tiers and nodes that provide for the logical abstraction and containment of the physical components as well as system and service application software of the enterprise. A user, such as a system administrator, interacts with the control nodes to logically define the hierarchical organization of distributed computing system. The control nodes are responsible for all levels of management in accordance with the model, including fabric management, domain creation, tier creation and node allocation and deployment.

Abstract: A distributed computing system conforms to a multi-level, hierarchical organizational model. One or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources within the distributed computing system in accordance with the organization model. The model includes four distinct levels: fabric, domains, tiers and nodes that provide for the logical abstraction and containment of the physical components as well as system and service application software of the enterprise. A user, such as a system administrator, interacts with the control nodes to logically define the hierarchical organization of distributed computing system. The control nodes are responsible for all levels of management in accordance with the model, including fabric management, domain creation, tier creation and node allocation and deployment.

Abstract: A distributed computing system conforms to a multi-level, hierarchical organizational model. One or more control nodes provide for the efficient and automated allocation and management of computing functions and resources within the distributed computing system in accordance with the organization model. The model includes four distinct levels: fabric, domains, tiers and nodes that provide for the logical abstraction and containment of the physical components as well as system and service application software of the enterprise. A user, such as a system administrator, interacts with the control nodes to logically define the hierarchical organization of distributed computing system. The control nodes are responsible for all levels of management in accordance with the model, including fabric management, domain creation, tier creation and node allocation and deployment.

Abstract: A game table deployment system comprises a housing adapted to be mounted to a ceiling of a room, the housing including an opening facing downward into the room, a lift mechanism contained in the housing, and a game table operatively coupled to the lift mechanism. The game table is movable by operation of the lift mechanism between a stowed position in which the game table is substantially contained within the opening of the housing and a deployed position in which the game table is deployed for use within the room. The housing may include at least one door adapted to at least partially enclose the opening. The door may further include at least one electric light oriented to provide light onto the game table below when in the deployed position and the at least one door is opened. The lift mechanism may further comprise a motor and a plurality of cables operatively driven by the motor, the game table being coupled to respective ends of the plurality of cables.

Abstract: A platform lift apparatus enables the safe movement of objects to and from an attic storage space. The platform lift apparatus includes a frame, a drive mechanism, and a platform. The frame includes internal and external mounting surfaces. The drive mechanism is substantially disposed within the frame and is coupled to the internal mounting surfaces. The drive mechanism includes a plurality of rotatable, parallel shafts with each shaft further including at least one lift drum having an associated lift tether at least partially wound thereon and having an end hanging therefrom. The platform is coupled to each lift tether end and is thereby suspended from the frame. The platform is selectively movable by operation of the drive mechanism within in a vertical dimension between raised and lowered positions. The drive mechanism further comprises an electric motor operatively coupled to the plurality of parallel shafts.

Abstract: A platform lift apparatus enables the safe movement of objects to and from an attic storage space. The platform lift apparatus includes a frame, a drive mechanism, and a platform. The frame includes internal and external mounting surfaces. The drive mechanism is substantially disposed within the frame and is coupled to the internal mounting surfaces. The drive mechanism includes a plurality of rotatable, parallel shafts with each shaft further including at least one lift drum having an associated lift tether at least partially wound thereon and having an end hanging therefrom. The platform is coupled to each lift tether end and is thereby suspended from the frame. The platform is selectively movable by operation of the drive mechanism within in a vertical dimension between raised and lowered positions. The drive mechanism further comprises an electric motor operatively coupled to the plurality of parallel shafts.

Abstract: A method for creating a virtual device driver that runs under both Windows 3.x and Windows 95 operating systems is disclosed. There are two basic obstacles to be overcome in creating a virtual device driver VxD that will operate under both Windows 95 and Windows 3.x. The first obstacle, that of identificational incompatibility, is cured by disguising a Windows 95 compatible driver as a Windows 3.x compatible driver. This is done by renaming the Windows 95 driver with a file name having the three-character extension “386”. The version number within a Device Descriptor Block must also be changed in order to effect a total disguise. Once the identificational incompatibility has been cured through the aforementioned steps, Windows 3.x will load the Windows 95 driver. The second obstacle, that of partial functional incompatibility, is cured by appending additional logic and supplementary Windows 3.x emulation routines to the Windows 95 driver.

Abstract: An efficient method for purging cache memory sub-blocks within a cache memory block is disclosed. The method is particularly applicable to cache memories established on rotating magnetic media, such as a hard disk drive. The method is unique in that it requires absolutely no system overhead when the system is running and the cache is not completely full. When all sub-blocks within the cache memory have been filled, sophisticated, system resource-intensive algorithms are not employed to determine which is the oldest or the least frequently used sub-block of data. Instead, sub-blocks of data are removed in a pseudo-random manner until ample space is available within the cache.

Abstract: Calls to a conventional device driver interface of a first operating are converted to operate with a device driver interface of a second operating system. A convention interface is created to appear identical to the conventional device driver interface of the first operating system, but the conversion interface operate in the second operating system. The conversion interface permits a program utilizing the conventional device driver interface of the first operating system to operate in the second operating system without modification to the source code.

Abstract: A network and CD-ROM caching product that runs under both Windows 3.X and Windows 95, is completely transparent to end-users, and works with a wide variety of file systems running under both Windows 3.X and Windows 95 is disclosed. The approach used to fulfill these requirements has been to utilize the services provided by a virtual device driver (VxD) supplied with Windows 95 known as the Installable File System Manager (IFSMGR). Windows 95 is designed so that all file system input/output (I/O) requests may be "hooked" to the IFSMGR VxD. The disclosed caching product is effectively "layered" between the IFSMGR VxD and the generic file system of Windows 95. The disclosed caching product has been designed so that it will run under both operating systems. This has been accomplished by rewriting portions of the Windows 95 IFSMGR VxD, enabling it to run under Windows 3.X. The rewritten version is based on the IFSMGR specification provided by Microsoft Corporation.

Abstract: An efficient method for purging cache memory sub-blocks within a cache memory block is disclosed. The method is particularly applicable to cache memories established on rotating magnetic media, such as a hard disk drive. The method is unique in that it requires absolutely no system overhead when the system is running and the cache is not completely full. When all sub-blocks within the cache memory have been filled, sophisticated, system resource-intensive algorithms are not employed to determine which is the oldest or the least frequently used sub-block of data. Instead, sub-blocks of data are removed in a pseudo-random manner until ample space is available within the cache.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product which determines the relative performance of a local cache and renders the resultant performance increase (or in certain circumstances, the decrease) in cache performance of a stand-alone computer or networked "client" perceptible to the user in an especially intuitive manner. By accurately tracking and factoring in the times and amounts of data read from one or more source locations and the cache, the amount of time required to execute "read" operations without the cache can be determined. By dividing this time period by the actual time to execute the "read", the true relative performance of the cache may be determined.

Abstract: A method for creating a virtual device driver that runs under both Windows 3.x and Windows 95 operating systems is disclosed. There are two basic obstacles to be overcome in creating a virtual device driver VxD that will operate under both Windows 95 and Windows 3.x. The first obstacle, that of identificational incompatibility, is cured by disguising a Windows 95 compatible driver as a Windows 3.x compatible driver. This is done by renaming the Windows 95 driver with a file name having the three-character extension "386". The version number within a Device Descriptor Block must also be changed in order to effect a total disguise. Once the identificational incompatibility has been cured through the aforementioned steps, Windows 3.x will load the Windows 95 driver. The second obstacle, that of partial functional incompatibility, is cured by appending additional logic and supplementary Windows 3.x emulation routines to the Windows 95 driver. The logic works in the following manner: Whenever a Windows 3.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting ASCII path names to parsed path name structures provides downward compatibility so that program modules written for modern operating systems which provide parsed path name structure inputs may be run under older operating systems which provide ASCII path name inputs. The method includes, in its most basic form, the steps of converting the prefix and file name of an ASCII path name to a unicode string, then converting the unicode string to a parsed path structure. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method is implemented in compiled object code written in the "C" computer programming language.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product which determines the relative performance of a local cache and renders the resultant performance increase (or in certain circumstances, the decrease) in cache performance of a stand-alone computer or networked "client" perceptible to the user in an especially intuitive manner. By accurately tracking and factoring in the times and amounts of data read from one or more source locations and the cache, the amount of time required to execute "read" operations without the cache can be determined. By dividing this time period by the actual time to execute the "read", the true relative performance of the cache may be determined.

Abstract: A non-volatile caching system and a method for implement such a system is disclosed. The system is particularly applicable to rotating magnetic media such as hard disk drives. The system retains data even in the event of system shut-down and re-boot. The system is capable of rapidly caching data from large, randomly accessed files, such as databases, in a space-efficient manner. The cached data can be stored in nearly any standard or non-standard format on the magnetic media. A conversion routine converts CD-ROM file names or network file names to local hard disk drive file names and back. A mini-database is created for each cached file on the hard disk drive. The mini-data base maps randomly-accessed blocks of data within the cached file on the local hard disk drive.

Abstract: A multi-tier cache system and a method for implementing the multi-tier cache system is disclosed. The multi-tier cache system has a small cache in random access memory (RAM) that is managed in a Least Recent Used (LRU) fashion. The RAM cache is a subset of a much larger non-volatile cache on rotating magnetic media (e.g., a hard disk drive). The non-volatile cache is, in turn a subset of a local CD-ROM or of a CD-ROM or mass storage device controlled by a server system. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a heuristic technique is employed to establish a RAM cache of optimum size within the system memory. Also in a preferred embodiment, the RAM cache is made up of multiple identically-sized sub-blocks. A small amount of RAM is utilized to maintain a table which implements a Least Recently Used (LRU) RAM cache purging scheme. A hashing mechanism is employed to search for the "bucket" within the RAM cache in which the requested data may be located.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for reusing directory search handles in a manner that minimizes the possibility that a handle allocated for a directory search request that is not yet complete will be reused. This method is implemented by assigning a block of system memory at the time of system initialization for the creation of a set of directory search and information retrieval handle structures. Handle structures within the set are allocated as they are needed. When all have been allocated, they are reused, one at a time in a least-recently-used fashion which gives preference to handle structures which have the lowest probability of being associated with an incomplete search request.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product of especial utility in providing a visual indication to a computer system user of the familiar "blinking", of pulsing, data access lights of conventional hardware data sources such as disk drives, CDROM drives and network connections in order to illustrate data cache "hits" and "misses" of an inherently computer program based caching function by incorporating simulated access lights as part of a graphical user interface ("GUI") for a data caching computer program. The GUI then allows a system user to intuitively visualize how effectively the data cache is functioning with respect to data which is accessed from the cache and data which must be accessed from another relatively more slow access time data source.